Resources

Professional Organizations

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) is a the premier organization developing the science of restoration. The website has information on upcoming workshops as well as great resources concerning restoration, including a list of past SER Conference Abstracts.

The California Native Plant Society is an organization dedicated to the identification and preservation of California’s rare and endemic flora. Their website includes habitat information, plant lists, and an excellent page on current legislative actions.

The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) program is aninterdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices.

Government Resources

An excellent website for information concerning California’s diverse ecological wealth. Information developed by the California Dept. of Forestry, the Ca. Dept. of Fish and Game, and other state agencies charged with the management of California’s ecosystems are accessible from this site. It includes links, searchable databases, and reports, including the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project report.

A cooperative effort run by the California Dept. of Fish and Game and the Nature Conservancy, the Natural Heritage Division is focused on identifying, mapping, and protecting the rare and endangered species of California. Includes reports, significant natural area maps, and contact information for the Natural Diversity Data Base.

Redwood National Park was one of the first National Parks to begin taking the problem of non-native plants as a serious concern. Their website contains information relevant to the redwoods found in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and there is also a copy of the Redwood NP Exotic Plant Management Plan available on-line.

The Biological Resources Division was formally known as the National Biological Service (NBS). Their website includes publications, news releases, and other information generated at the federal level concerning biology and ecology. This site includes a link to the USGS homepage.